PRESS RELEASE

Charging American Incitement of Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Calls for New Talks on Ukraine

March 19, 2015 (EIRNS)--Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov charged today that the United States is inciting Ukraine to violate the Minsk accords and return to a policy of force. He immediately followed up that charge with a call for new talks by the Normandy Four--France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia--"to prevent the situation from taking a nosedive."

The foreign minister pointed, as evidence, to the support given by the U.S. government to the Kiev regime's attempt to sabotage the Minsk accords, with the law on special status in the Donbass passed by the Ukrainian parliament two days ago. That support was expressed by Vice-President Joe Biden, in a phone call yesterday to Ukrainian President Poroshenko.

The Ukrainian law, argued Lavrov, violated the terms of the Minsk Accords by postponing the introduction of the new status until the Donetsk and Lugansk regions hold elections under Ukrainian jurisdiction. The leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions had never agreed to this provision.

"The Ukrainian leadership ... basically terminated their commitments to engage in direct dialogue and negotiate with southeastern Ukraine, including on the issue of elections, on the implementation of the law on the special status,"

Lavrov said.

On the ground, the fragile ceasefire is mostly holding, although fighting around the Donetsk airport and in other pockets continues.